Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Christopher Mann/BBC
If you still needed proof that following sat-nav without paying attention to road signage is a terrible idea, here's the story of an American tourist who wanted to get to St. Catherine's Island in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
The tourist used a navigation app to get around the seaside town, ignoring the street signs for a simple reason. They were unfamiliar with the location, so they believed the likes of Google Maps could help them get to the destination.
Instead of directing them to the address, the sat-nav pointed the driver to a shortcut that eventually got the brand-new Nissan Juke stuck on a ridiculously narrow footpath. Surrounded by Victorian heritage walls, the car got jammed on the route. The driver didn't want to stop when they noticed the narrow footpath and continued to drive until they couldn't go any further.
The vehicle was eventually stuck completely, with the driver not even capable of going in reverse. The driver abandoned the Nissan Juke and took a train to the hotel.
The mechanic sent to pull out the vehicle needed more than four hours to save the Juke. They even discussed cutting the car at one point, as they wanted to remove it without damaging the walls.
The incident again shows that trusting navigation apps is a bad idea, especially when driving in unfamiliar regions where street signage could come in much handier. Tourists do this regularly without knowing that Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, or traditional GPS navigators could point them on improper routes because the software is outdated.
Drivers end up learning this lesson the hard way occasionally. Some spend their nights in the wilderness after getting stuck in the middle of nowhere due to using alternative routes suggested by their sat-nav. Others ignore street signs and use the software to arrive at their destination faster. In some cases, the whole thing becomes fatal. Two weeks ago, two doctors died in India after the vehicle plunged into a river. The driver followed Google Maps's directions until they missed a turn and drove the vehicle into the river.
Authorities in several regions erected dedicated road signs to advise against the use of sat-nav. Local officials hope the drivers will notice the signage and pay more attention to traffic indicators, eventually avoiding putting their lives at risk and causing major disruptions in the local communities.
Police also recommended against using the likes of Google Maps, emphasizing that such a navigation app can easily become a double-edged sword when misused. Law enforcement tells drivers to only follow a route as long as it's safe and to avoid roads that don't look appropriate for the vehicle they drive (such as muddy roads or snow-covered routes).
Instead of directing them to the address, the sat-nav pointed the driver to a shortcut that eventually got the brand-new Nissan Juke stuck on a ridiculously narrow footpath. Surrounded by Victorian heritage walls, the car got jammed on the route. The driver didn't want to stop when they noticed the narrow footpath and continued to drive until they couldn't go any further.
The vehicle was eventually stuck completely, with the driver not even capable of going in reverse. The driver abandoned the Nissan Juke and took a train to the hotel.
The mechanic sent to pull out the vehicle needed more than four hours to save the Juke. They even discussed cutting the car at one point, as they wanted to remove it without damaging the walls.
The incident again shows that trusting navigation apps is a bad idea, especially when driving in unfamiliar regions where street signage could come in much handier. Tourists do this regularly without knowing that Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, or traditional GPS navigators could point them on improper routes because the software is outdated.
Drivers end up learning this lesson the hard way occasionally. Some spend their nights in the wilderness after getting stuck in the middle of nowhere due to using alternative routes suggested by their sat-nav. Others ignore street signs and use the software to arrive at their destination faster. In some cases, the whole thing becomes fatal. Two weeks ago, two doctors died in India after the vehicle plunged into a river. The driver followed Google Maps's directions until they missed a turn and drove the vehicle into the river.
Authorities in several regions erected dedicated road signs to advise against the use of sat-nav. Local officials hope the drivers will notice the signage and pay more attention to traffic indicators, eventually avoiding putting their lives at risk and causing major disruptions in the local communities.
Police also recommended against using the likes of Google Maps, emphasizing that such a navigation app can easily become a double-edged sword when misused. Law enforcement tells drivers to only follow a route as long as it's safe and to avoid roads that don't look appropriate for the vehicle they drive (such as muddy roads or snow-covered routes).
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